Honey-Glazed Barbecue Wings

As usual with anything sweet, I try to make something savory out of it. So when I was challenged with using Golden Blossom's beautiful variety of honey, I jumped at the chance to create honey barbecue wings. Besides the sweet flavor that honey adds to barbecue wings, there's also texture at play, because by baking the honey at high heat, you get a caramelized and crispy texture on your wings, similar to if you had deep-fried them. Boy, is this recipe messy — honey can be a pain when it comes to coating your wings — but it's worth it.

Ingredients

3 Pounds chicken wings

Salt and pepper, to taste

One 18-ounce bottle barbecue sauce, plus more for serving

Cooking spray, for the baking sheet

1 Cup honey, plus more to taste

Directions

Place the wings in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss well. Add half of the bottle of barbecue sauce and toss again. Let the wings marinate for at least 1 hour. (If you plan on marinating the wings for longer than 1 hour, refrigerate them, but make sure to take them out 30 minutes prior to cooking so they’re at room temperature.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a baking sheet.

Remove the wings from the bowl of marinade, letting excess barbecue sauce drip off. Add them to the baking sheet and place a few drops of honey on each wing. Toss with your hands so that the wings are nicely coated in honey.

Bake in the oven until the wings are mostly cooked through, about 15 minutes, flipping them halfway through. (The wings should be mostly cooked through and their skins should be slightly crispy. Based on your oven and the size of the wings you’re using, the baking time may vary.)

Remove the wings from the oven and turn the oven to broil. Pour the rest of the barbecue sauce over the wings and, using tongs, toss the wings in the sauce so that they’re evenly coated. Place them back into the oven and broil them for 1-2 minutes.

Then, remove the wings and flip them a few times so that they're evenly coated, and broil them for 1-2 more minutes. At this point, the wings should be entirely cooked through and coated in a crispy, barbecue crust.

Honey Shopping Tip

As an alternative to sugary, salty, processed foods, try shopping for fruits and vegetables that are in season.

Honey Cooking Tip

For a healthier alternative, substitute honey or molasses for sugar in baking recipes, and use a 3:1 blend of canola oil to olive oil instead of butter when cooking over the flame.